“Aga Ali, of Media, came, and with him and Mirza Ali, I had a long and warm discussion about the essentials of Christianity. The Mede seeing us at work upon the epistles, said, ‘he should be glad to read them; as for the gospels, they were nothing but tales, which were of no use to him, for instance,’ said he, ‘if Christ raised four hundred dead to life, what is that to me?’ I said, ‘It certainly was of importance; for his works were a reason for our depending upon his words.’ ‘What did he say,’ asked he, ‘that was not known before: the love of God, humility,—who does not know these things?’ ‘Were these things,’ said I, ‘known before Christ, either among Greeks or Romans, with all their philosophy?’ They averred that the Hindoo book Juh contained precepts of this kind. I questioned its antiquity; ‘but however that may be,’ I added, ‘Christ came not to _teach_, so much as to _die_; the truths I spoke of, as confirmed by his miracles, were those relating to his person, such as, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ Here Mirza Seid Ali told him that I had professed to have no doubt of my salvation. He asked what I meant? I told him, ‘that though sin still remained, I was assured that it should not regain dominion; and that I should never come into condemnation, but was accepted in the Beloved.’ Not a little surprised, he asked Mirza Seid Ali whether he comprehended this? ‘No,’ said he, ‘nor Mirza Ibraheem, to whom I mentioned it.’ The Mede again turning to me, asked, ‘how do you know this? how do you know you have experienced the second birth?’ ‘Because,’ said I, ‘we have the Spirit of the Father; what he wishes, we wish; what he hates, we hate.’ Here he began to be a little more calm and less contentious, and mildly asked, how I had obtained this peace of mind; ‘Was it merely those books?’ said he, taking up some of our sheets. I told him ‘These books, with prayer.’ ‘What was the beginning of it,’ said he, ‘the society of some friends?’ I related to him my religious history, the substance of which was, that I took my bible before God, in prayer, and prayed for forgiveness through Christ, assurance of it through his Spirit, and grace to obey his commandments. They then both asked whether the same benefit would be conferred on them? I replied; ‘I bring you this message from God, that he who, despairing of himself, rests for righteousness on the Son of God, shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; and to this I can add my testimony, if that be worth any thing, that I have found the promise fulfilled in myself; but if you should not find it so in you, accuse not the gospel of falsehood; it is possible that your faith might not be sincere; indeed, so fully am I persuaded that you do not believe on the Son of God, that if you were to entreat ever so earnestly for baptism, I should not dare to administer it at this time, when you have shown so many signs of an